Niloufar Molavi: Look for a mentor who isn’t like you

Niloufar Molavi has 20 years of experience with PwC, and earned a degree in accounting as well as a Masters in Professional Accounting with a concentration in Taxation from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a licensed CPA in Texas and resides in Houston with her husband and two children:

It’s really powerful when a mentor-mentee relationship becomes a sponsorship. A mentor tells you what you need to do. A sponsor takes it to the next level to open the door.

When I think back to the three points in my career where I’ve had mentors that were sponsors, it was that person’s role to push me, propel me forward and catch me. Their professional reputation was on the line. They wanted me to succeed.

When you personally have had someone play that role for you, you take on an obligation to pay that forward. The best way I can thank them is to continue their legacy.

The best moments I’ve had at PWC are helping a mentee succeed. In public accounting, we get the best and brightest. As partners, our goal is to cultivate other partners. It’s the most satisfying thing we do, to continue our legacy.

My advice to mentors is to really get to know the mentees, because everyone is different. It’s really hard to have a personal relationship if the other person doesn’t trust you. Identify their strengths and areas they need to to develop — there’s no one-size-fits-all. Understand their ambitions. It’s temping to say, “Trust me, do it my way.”

When mentoring younger professionals, they may need more structure. Early in their careers, they don’t even know when they need help. Check in. Have a conversation, and ask about things they hadn’t even thought to ask.

Niloufar's advice

As a mentee, be comfortable taking the feedback and getting help.

Be comfortable and spend more time focusing on your own contributions. Spend more time talking about “I” than the team. Although every member contributes to success, what do you bring personally to the table?

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. When you’re learning, take risk. I could fail. Really take a leap, it’s the only way to develop professionally. Women tend to be conservative, versus doing something different.

Be confident being yourself. People look for authenticity. Everybody brings value to the team. Innovation is driven only in being your whole self.

While you’ve got to be yourself, be conscious of the culture of the organization.

Change is a constant in a business environment. Get comfortable adapting to change. I have succeeded a lot faster because I embrace it.